Monday Night Football did not disappoint as the Los Angeles Rams came away with a thrilling 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In a battle between two projected playoff teams, the Rams were able to lean on Jared Goff and the passing game to move to 7-3 during the 2020 season, taking over first place in the NFC West. Goff threw for 376 yards and three touchdowns, showing more poise against the Buccaneers blitzing defenses.
While Goff looked great, it was his receivers that really stole the show. Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp combined for 23 catches and 275 receiving yards, with Woods coming down with his seventh touchdown of the year. They became the first Rams duo in franchise history to each record 10 or more receptions in a game. According to Stu Jackson of TheRams.com, Goff knew in the first half that Woods and Kupp were going to have huge games:
“Probably about halfway through the second quarter,” Rams quarterback Jared Goff said in his postgame video conference, when asked when he sensed the pair of receivers might be in for a big night. “We just had a lot of stuff that was dialed up for them. When Cooper was breaking tackles and getting more [yards] after the catch – and Robert for that matter – you kind of get a good feeling of how the game is going to go.”
Woods added that he was eager to keep the momentum going after things started to click early:
“Keep calling it, keep going,” Woods said during his postgame video conference, when asked what the conversations are like in the huddle as those numbers keep going up. “Really, you go into games hoping for games like this every single week. But really, just going out there, making plays, the ball finding you, Jared’s zipping it. When you’re in that rhythm, you know you can’t be touched no matter what coverage, who’s lining up in front of you.”
It was a historic night for the two receivers and a glimpse into how potent Los Angeles’s offense is when they are clicking on all cylinders. Tampa Bay is a stout defense, but they had no answer for Woods and Kupp, especially when they dropped into their zone looks.
Thanks to the duo, the Rams find themselves firmly in the mix in the NFC and their Super Bowl odds quickly improving. They will get a chance to bolster their chances in Week 12 against a depleted San Francisco 49ers squad.
